Last Weekend

Entering the new world



last weekend
is the time for me gathering with my friends
my homo friends, i mean, at our best place to meet.
& i of course was there with my bf.

we were chatting, laughing, and really savor our time alltogether.
and the nice thing i heard was
my friend introduced me, this guy, Thomas,
about 173 cm or 175 cm height, and 60 kg, about 5.1" size.
is a ,well let me say that he is Bi-sexual.
but prefer to a gay side.
he likes man much more than girl.

he told me about his experiance
of havin' 1# gay sexual intercourse.
he went to some places like gay sauna.
he found guys he adore there
and then he went to a special room for havin' sex.


he had no idea what a pain sensation for the very first
time havin anal sex, and also senses the sensation of
sucking dick, "i like sucking dick" he said to me.
and then he let those 2 guys' penis penetrate his ass.

he shocked of what was goin on. the painfull.
and he felt like there was a shit there
in his hole,
or let me say it is a "colic"?
or something like "stomach upset".

he asked his partner to stop it.
"i wanna go to restroom"
"i'm going to defecate"

first thing his partner do was checking on his penis
"no, there is no feces here"

and in the restroom,
he was doin' nothing.
becoz what he felt is just a pain.
not to defecate.


i ask him "why you visit that kind of place? why dont you find a boyfriend?
and experiance more adventure of havin' anal sex than to go to the public place like gay sauna?"
"i dont like that kind of boyfriend thing"
well up to you.
but he is real cute guy,
nice body (not mascular but also not tiny)

haha...... what an experiance!
althogh he began with well i guess stupid curiosity
but anyway, thomas, welcome to a gay world.

International Gay Sauna

ok, here are the addresses of Gay Sauna in some countries.
if you interested to visit gay sauna in these following countries
just find some information about the place that i put in here (just click "the complete article") before u go there, coz some places are might be closed.
i choose the best places in USA, UK, Australia, Canada and Holland
well at least a place you could give a try to visit.

i know some gay saunas in Indonesia, the capital = jakarta, also
my homeland= Bandung. i visited 2 places 4 years ago [in 2004]
one in jakarta and one in Bandung City.
but i think it's not so very good place(for international standard)
so i dont included them in here.
and i've never been there again in mylife.
i'm afraid of dark room.
i'm afraid of ghost.
a little cowardy and superstitious.

hahahha just kidding.
the reason why i afraid of dark room is
i dont like to be with someone i can't even see his face.
moreover, his dick. i need to be secure of what person
i'm getting involved. that's all.

meanwhile my bf who also got there with me concerning about
that dark room, and all we both wanna do was leaving that room at once.
but yeah it's pretty fun outside the dark room.
we found the rooms are quite clean, and

!!!~free condom~!!!

Yes! that's what i and my bf need. we had fun and feel more secure.
in jakarta, we met some cool guys over those places.
we were foursome. i, my bf and 2 other persons.

ok, let's check out these addresses:

Japan
24 Kaikan Asakusa
2-29-16 Asakusa, Taito-ku
near Asakusa Station)
Tokyo, Japan
Tel. 3844 7715

HX
Direction:
o to Nakadori (Central) street in Shinjuku 2-Chome. Nakadori street has the most gay bookstores in the area. Go to the north on the street and you'll soon find Yasukuni Dori street. Cross the Yasukuni Dori street and then you'll find a MOS Burger hamburger shop to your left. Turn right on the alley right before the MOS Burger. HX is located on the first floor of a regular residential (manshon) apartment building. And its name "HX" is written very small and the place is very dimly lit.
Tokyo, Japan

Tokyos Mens Club
5F Daini Kunisha Building
11-10 Shinjuku 3 Chome
Tokyo, Japan
Tel. 3355 3389

Jinya
2-30-19 Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku
(Near Ikebukuro station)
Tokyo , Japan
Tel. 5951 0995

Treffpunkt
Maeda Building
4F Akasaka 5-4-17, Minato-ku
Tokyo, Japan
Tel. 5563 0523

Colombia
Baltomore Sauna
Calle 33, Carrera 17-17 (c/o Hotel Maria Isabel)
Bogota , Colombia
Tel. 2452650

Thermas Spa
Transversal 20 # 60-25
Bogota ,Colombia
Tel. (9)1-2487231

Ulises
Carrera 15 # 32-26
Bogota , Colombia
Tel. (9)1-2325809

Saint Moritz Baths
Calle 59 No. 9-34
Bogota, Colombia

Brazil
Club 89
Rua Ernani Cardoso, 89
Rio de Jaineiro, Brazil
Tel. 2594-9287

Calígola
Setor de Diversões Sul, Ed. Venâncio Jr - subsolo
Brasília, Brazil

Le Boy Fitness
Rua Raul Pompéia, 102 - Copacabana
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tel. 021-25229175

Sauna 18
Rua santo Amaro, 18
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tel. 2224-3213

Stúdio 64
Rua Redentor, 64 - Ipanema
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tel. 021-25235670

Roger's Termas Roger's Termas2
Rua Ministro Alfredo Valadão, 36
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tel. 2549-9096

Athenas
Rua das Margaridas, 18 - Araçatiba - Maricá - Niterói
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tel. 021-97916138

Bonsucesso
Rua Bonsucesso, 252
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tel. 2260-9385

Australia

Steamwork
Steamworks Steamworks2
279 Latrobe Street
Melbournem, Australia

Wet
162 Wellington Street, Collingwood
Melbourne, Australia

Bodyline Sydney
10 Taylor St.
2010 Darlinghurst
Australia
Tel. +61-2-93601006

Sydney City Steam
357 Sussex St.
2000 Sydney
Australia

USA
Steamworks
2107 4th. Street
Berkeley (CA)
United States
Tel. (510) 8458992

branch steamwork in Chicago:
3246 North Halsted Street
Chicago (IL)
United States
Tel. (773) 9296080

The Club Dallas
rent only a locker and not a room, there are no free or public rooms. You have to have sex in the sauna or steam bath
2616 Swiss Ave.
Dallas (TX)
United States
Tel. +1 (214) 821 1990

branch in Fort Lauderdale:
The Club Fort Lauderdale
110 N. W. Fifth Ave.
Fort Lauderdale (FL)
United States

Midtown Spa
2935 Zuni St.
Denver (CO)
United States
Tel. (303) 458-8902

Branch:
Midtown Spa
3100 Fannin St.
Houston (TX)
United States

Clubhouse II
2650 E. Oakland Park Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale (FL)
United States
Tel. +1 - (954) 566 6750

Flex Los Angeles
4424 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles (CA)
United States
Tel. (323) 663 7786

The Chute
1440 E Indian School Road
Phoenix (AZ)
United States
Tel. (602) 234 1654

Steam Portland
2885 NE Sandy Blvd.
Portland (OR)
United States

The Watergarden
decent crowd, guys even play at the pool and in the showers, lots of Mexicans and Vietnamese guys
1010 The Alameda
San Jose (CA)
United States

River Street Club
This is a really nice, well kept place. Because it's the only gay sauna within a 100 miles, it gets a large crowd of men. Busiest on Wednesday afternoons, and Friday, Saturday nights -- but often surprisingly busy at other times as well.
Near Albany and Saratoga Springs.
540 River Street
Troy (NY)
United States
Tel. (518) 272 0340

UK
Outside
1-5 Donegall Lane
Belfast
United Kingdom
Tel. +44-2890-324448

The Garage
6 Union Street
Belfast
United Kingdom

Spartan Health Club
127 George Road
Birmingham
United Kingdom
Tel. (0)121 - 3823345

Locker Room
50 Charles St.
Cardiff
United Kingdom

The Greenhouse
47a Picturedrome Way
Darlaston
United Kingdom
Tel. (0)121 - 5686126

Steamworks
5 Broughton Market
Edinburgh
United Kingdom

Pleasure Drome Central
125 Alaska Street
London SE1
United Kingdom
Tel. (0)20 - 76339194

Star Steam
Mainly local guys but a very friendly sauna.
The action takes place in the basement which has sauna, steam, showers and a few cabins
38 Lavender Hill
London SW11 5RL
United Kingdom
Tel. (0)20 - 79242269

Blue Corner
164b Heaton Park Road
Newcastle
United Kingdom
Tel. (0)191 - 2400122

Pink Broadway
79/80 East Street
Southampton
United Kingdom

Dolphin
129 Mount Road
Wallasey
United Kingdom
Tel. (0)151 - 6301516

Canada
Hippocampe
31 McMahon
Quebec, Canada

Spa Excess
105 Carlton Street
Toronto, Canada

St. Marc Spa
543 Yone Street (Top Floor)
Toronto, Canada

The Cellar
They have 20 rooms, lots of lockers, and it's bark, for thoses of u that like the bark. Can get very buzy on weekends & Wednesdays are at a reduced rate on rooms and locker, busy day too. Mostly older men bear type. They also have a special every day called the nooner & a second nooner on Monday & Tuesday at 7pm in the evening. A lot of regulars meet here to connect up
78 Wellesley St E
Toronto
Canada
Tel. 416-975-1799

F212
1048 Davie Street
Vancouver
Canada
Tel. (604) 689 9719

Holland
Gaysauna Maastricht
Kelmonderhofweg 51
6191 RB Beek (L)
Netherlands
Tel. (0)46 - 4490015

Blue River
Valkenboslaan 181-191
2563 CT Den Haag
Netherlands
Tel. (0)70 - 3646407

Spartacus
s Gravendijkwal 130
3015 CC Rotterdam
Netherlands
Tel. (0)10 - 4366285

you can also check out these following websites:
===========
Bodyline
Gay crawler
===========

Shelter

this is the best dvd movie ever!!!
you gotta watch this one.
it was released on 2007, last year.
may be almost whole American gay would love this movie,
i bought DVD "Shortbus", it's pretty nice movie with all
the voluptuous scenes, but this one is more juvenile story.
ok take a look the info about this Movie:

Actors: Brad Rowe, Tina Holmes, Mat Bushell, Trevor Wright, Ross Thomas
Directors: Jonah Markowitz
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English
Studio: Genius Products (TVN)
DVD Release Date: May 27, 2008
Run Time: 89 minutes


The feature-film debut from art director Jonah Markowitz (Quinceañera) pivots on the tension between responsibility to family and responsibility to self. Recent high-school graduate Zach (Trevor Wright) has one summer to reconcile the competing halves of his life. The aspiring Picasso lives in blue-collar San Pedro with his irresponsible sister, Jeanne (Tina Holmes, Half Nelson), her five-year-old son, Cody (Jackson Wurth), and their rarely-seen father. Zach gave up his art school dreams to toil in a diner and help look after his much-loved nephew. With his best friend, Gabe (Ross Thomas), away at college, Zach draws, surfs, and skateboards by his lonesome. When Gabe's novelist brother, Shaun (Brad Rowe, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss), returns to his Orange County home to recover from a broken heart, he and Zach alternate between riding the waves and encouraging each other to pursue their aspirations. Shaun is gay, while Zach appears to be straight, but a casual kiss between the two soon leads to a secret relationship. Before the former returns to Los Angeles, the latter has to decide who he is--gay, straight, artist, cook, uncle, or father--and what he's going to do about it. Except for the location shooting, this low-budget indie plays like an extended episode of The O.C. what with all the "bro"s and "dude"s and love scenes tame enough for network TV. Nonetheless, Markowitz’s heart is in the right place, and Shelter may provide some real-life Zachs with the courage they need to follow their passions. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description
Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach spends his days working a dead end job and helping his needy sister care for her son. In his free time he surfs, draws and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe, who lives on the wealthy side of town. When Gabe's older brother, Shaun, returns home, he is drawn to Zach's selflessness and talent. Zach falls in love with Shaun while struggling to reconcile his own desires with the needs of his family.

Another fact about beer

Beer and Your Health


by Gregg Glaser

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
So said Benjamin Franklin. Happy? Certainly. But healthy as well? Maybe.

The beneficial effects of drinking alcohol have been guessed at from the earliest days of humankind. When the nomadic hunter-gatherers of millennia ago began to settle down as farmers, they knew nothing about sanitation and maintaining a clean water supply. Water-borne diseases must have been widespread. But these same people may have realized empirically that if they drank their fermented beverages--beer and wine--illnesses were not as common. Scientists now know that the boiling of water in brewing, the alcohol present in both beer and wine and the natural acidity in both drinks will either kill or reduce the growth of illness-forming bacteria.

The health benefits of drinking of alcoholic beverages may have become even more significant, as people gathered in more and more crowded conditions. Beer was certainly safer to drink than plain water, from the Middle Ages right through to the Industrial Revolution. Brewers didn't realize it, but in boiling the brew, they'd stumbled on the most fundamental of public health measures.

As a further endorsement of alcohol's beneficial use to humans, beer and wine became a part of almost every religion's sacraments, holidays and feasts. In Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church, in the form of its monks and nuns, became the proprietor of vineyards and the provider of wine and beer. Beer, in particular, added nutrients and vitamins--as well as pleasure--to an otherwise sparse diet. Many monasteries continue their brewing pursuits to this day.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, doctors and researchers have sought scientific evidence to understand the association between alcohol and human health. As the studies pile up, we can say something we wouldn't have said twenty years ago: you're better off including alcohol in your diet than not. And beer is a natural choice for the health-conscious 21st century.

ALCOHOL AND THE HEART
Observers have long suspected that drinking alcohol was somehow good for the heart. Just how good and why, they weren't sure until late in the 20th century. To date, over sixty studies throughout the world have investigated in detail if drinking alcoholic beverages did indeed lead to more healthy hearts, and how.

Alcohol and the Elderly
A study conducted in New Haven, CT, between 1982-1996 found that moderate alcohol consumption was associated with decreased risk of heart failure among the elderly.

Dr. Jerome L. Abramson of Emory University and his team of researchers studied 2,235 elderly men and women with an average age of 74. They found that compared to non-drinkers, those in the group who drank at least 1.5 drinks daily had a 20-50 percent less chance to develop heart failure.

Another study on the effects of drinking alcohol and aging conducted in Germany also found that alcohol was good for the heart. Dr. Wolfgang Koenig of the University of Ulm's German Center for Research on Aging published a report in the July 2001 issue of Epidemiology. Dr. Koenig and his researchers studied 800 men and women, one-third of whom had established heart and blood vessel problems. Blood samples were collected and the results showed that alcohol improves the balance of lipids (fats) in the blood, and reduces blood's tendency to clot.

It turned out that alcohol drinkers had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, often called the "good" cholesterol, which is a protective form of blood fat. The alcohol drinkers also had lower levels of fibrinogen, a protein that promotes blood clots, as well as elevated levels of other molecules (platelets) that prevent the clotting and stickiness of blood cells.

Beer or Wine?

The discovery--or re-discovery-- that alcohol consumption might be good for you emerged in the early 1990s in a phenomenon known as the "French paradox:" the observation that, although the French diet is higher in fat than ours, rates of coronary disease are lower than in the United States.

Research initially suggested that the red wine that adds so much pleasure to a French meal also helps protect French hearts. Chemical compounds called flavinoids, found in large amounts in the seeds and skins of red grapes, appeared to have positive effects on cholesterol levels (both raising the levels of "good" and decreasing the levels of "bad" cholesterol) and reducing blood platelet aggregation.

Red wine staked out its territory as the "healthy" alcoholic beverage.

Dutch researchers in 2000 offered evidence to counter the widely held belief that red wine was better for the heart than beer. The Dutch study, led by Dr. Henk Hendriks of the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, studied 11 healthy men who drank four glasses of either beer, red wine, spirits or water with dinner for three months. They switched beverages every three weeks. Despite the small number of subjects in the study, the results were striking.

The men showed a 30 percent increase in vitamin B6 in their blood plasma after three weeks on beer. Drinkers of red wine and Dutch gin received only one-half the increase in the vitamin. B6 prevents the body from building up high levels of homocysteine, a chemical linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Homocysteine levels did not increase in the beer drinkers, but rose for those who drank wine or spirits

A somewhat similar study in Denmark also addressed the "red wine v. beer is better for your heart" debate. The Danish Brewers Association reported that beer works as well as wine in preventing heart disease. "It cannot be proved that there is any health advantage to drinking red wine, for example, rather than beer," according to the study by the Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Muenster. "Studies indicate that light to moderate alcohol consumption from beer, wine or spirits is associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality, owing primarily to a decreased risk of coronary heart disease."

Folate and B-Vitamins
In the Czech Republic, a great beer drinking nation, a study published in the July 2001 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition attributed beer's health effects on the heart to its folate content.

Dr. O. Mayer Jr. and colleagues from the Center of Preventative Medicine at Charles University in Pilsen wrote in their report: "Moderate beer consumption may help to maintain the total homocysteine levels in the normal range due to high folate content. Folate from beer may...contribute to the protective effect of alcohol consumption on cardiovascular disease in population(s) with generally low folate intake from other nutrients." (It sounds like the Czechs aren't eating their leafy vegetables.)

The Czech study measured blood levels of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 in 543 men and women between 35-65 years of age who drank more than 6.3 ounces of alcohol weekly. Since Pilsen is home to Plzensky Prazdroj, brewer of the world-famous golden lager Pilsner Urquell, it's no surprise that the overwhelming majority of these test subjects were beer drinkers. The B-vitamins measured came from the yeast used to ferment beer, and the beer drinkers had the lowest blood levels of homocysteine and the highest levels of folate.

Alcohol After a Heart Attack

The April 18, 2001 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that found that drinkers of alcohol had a lower risk of dying from a heart attack. The study, led by Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, studied 1,913 patients at 45 hospitals between 1989-1994. Each patient had been hospitalized with a heart attack. The report concluded that moderate drinkers had a 32 percent lower risk of dying from a heart attack than those who didn't drink alcohol. Moderate drinkers, according to the researchers, were defined as people who drank at least seven drinks a week. Light drinkers (less than seven drinks a week) had a 21 percent lower risk. The findings were similar for men and women.

As in other studies, Dr. Mukamal's team found that alcohol helps prevent heart disease by boosting levels of HDL cholesterol and by thinning the blood or reducing insulin resistance.

Alcohol and Stroke
In the September 2001 issue of Stroke magazine, Dr Kenneth Mukamal, who had previously reported on alcohol's effects on the heart, found that light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with fewer brain lesions and so-called silent strokes. Dr. Mukamal wrote that as a blood thinner, alcohol improves blood circulation in the brain and offers protection from silent strokes caused by tiny blood clots.

In the study, 3,376 people aged over 65 were given MRIs to determine their overall brain health. Dr. Mukamal broke the test subjects down into six groups: abstainers, former drinkers, very light drinkers (less than one drink a week), light drinkers (one to six drinks a week), moderate drinkers (seven to 14 drinks a week) and heavy drinkers (more than 15 drinks a week).

The results showed that light and moderate drinkers had the fewest white-matter lesions; heavy drinkers had the most. The fewest signs of silent strokes were suffered by heavy drinkers, followed by light and moderate drinkers, but the heavy drinkers were also more likely to have brain atrophy. "Overall, we found that non-drinkers have the most strokes and white matter disease. Light to moderate drinkers have fewer strokes and the least amount of white matter disease, but somewhat greater atrophy. Moderately heavy drinkers had the fewest strokes but more white matter disease and the most atrophy."

Another study to highlight the brain as well as heart health was conducted by Dr. Monique M. B. Breteler of the Erasmus University Medical School in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The study found that "light to moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke." The six-year study followed 7,983 individuals aged 55 years and older and determined that the effect was the same regardless as to the source of alcohol.

The researchers believe the results may be due to one or both of two reasons: 1) the ethanol in the alcohol might thin the blood and lower cholesterol, thereby reducing the chance of vascular dementia; 2) alcohol may release acetylcholine in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that facilitates learning and memory. Moderation, according to the study, is defined as one to three drinks a day.

Alcohol and Brain Function

Alcohol may not only be good for the heart. The noggin may benefit as well.

A study conducted by Dr. Guiseppe Zuccala of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome found that moderate alcohol use may protect the brain from mental decline associated with aging. In the report published in the December 2001 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, Dr. Zuccala studied the mental abilities and alcohol use of nearly 16,000 Italian men and women over the age of 65: approximately 8,700 regular drinkers, and 7,000 non-drinkers. Moderate use of alcohol was associated with a 40 percent lower risk of mental impairment. Dr. Zuccala postulated that the reasons for the difference may be alcohol's beneficial effects on blood pressure and blood flow or perhaps the slowing of arterial disease.

At Indiana University in the United States, medical geneticist Dr. Joe Christian observed 4,000 male twins for 20 years to determine if moderate drinking affected the brain. He administered psychological tests to the brothers at ages 66 and 76 and found no harm done from moderate drinking. It turns out that brothers who drank moderately--one to two drinks a day--scored higher on mental skills tests than those who drank less than one drink a day or more than two drinks. Moderate drinking was deemed helpful in improving memory, problem solving and reasoning ability.

As part of the ambitious Nurses' Health Study at Harvard University, another paper by Dr. Meir Stampfer, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2001, determined that moderate drinking of alcohol seemed to preserve the mental abilities of older women. From 1995 to 1999, Dr. Stampfer interviewed over 9,000 women between the ages of 70-79. He measured their mental functions using seven different tests and collected information about their alcohol use in 1980, which was updated through 1994. The results showed that women who drank moderately had significantly better scores on five of the seven tests, as well on a global score that combined the seven tests.

Alcohol Metabolism

Dr. Meir Stampfer, of Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston and the Harvard School of Public Health, reported in February 2001 in the New England Journal of Medicine that there was a difference in the way people metabolize alcohol and that this difference could help explain some of the variation between people in alcohol's beneficial effects on the heart.

Dr. Stampfer and his team identified two forms of the gene that produces alcohol dehydrogenase, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. One form of the gene is associated with a slower rate of alcohol metabolism than the other. People who have this gene and who are moderate drinkers retain higher levels of HDL cholesterol and face about half the risk of heart attack than drinkers without the gene. "This is kind of a poor person's randomized trial," said Dr. Stampfer. "The gene is basically distributed at random with respect to behavioral characteristics, including alcohol consumption. So you can't argue that people with this gene exercise more or have a better diet." The study's subjects were 396 male doctors who had suffered heart attacks and 770 controls who had not.

A Little Bit of This/ A Little Bit of That-Beer Helps

At the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dr. Margo A. Denke, an Associate Professor of Medicine, conducted clinical research on the health effects of alcohol, and beer in particular. The results of her 2001 study found that moderate consumption of alcohol can lower risk of heart disease and stroke. "The majority of more recent large population-based studies have observed that moderate drinking in the range of one to three drinks daily is associated with a 30-40 percent lower rate of coronary heart disease compared to non-drinking," wrote Dr. Denke. She cited several reasons for her findings.

* alcohol increases HDL and this could account for 30-50 percent of the moderate alcohol consumption benefit

* alcohol increases bleeding time, acting as blood thinner and reducing the risk of coronary thrombosis

* alcohol lowers insulin levels, which is good for non-diabetics because it reduces the chance of developing atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries

Dr. Denke believes that beer is a more beneficial alcoholic drink than spirits because beer contains many more nutrients per serving, such as protein and B-vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, cadmium and iron. She found that one to two beers a day provides 14 percent of dietary calories, 11 percent of dietary protein, 12 percent of dietary carbohydrates, nine percent of dietary phosphorus, seven percent of dietary riboflavin and five percent of dietary niacin.

Polyphenols in beer, also found in abundance in red wine, are also beneficial for their antioxidant properties that reduce LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) oxidation. Researchers in Denmark have studied the effect of polyphenols in red wine on heart health and concluded that only red wine produced enough of these compounds to be of benefit. Dr. Denke, however, has concluded that beer contains similar levels of polyphenols to red wine, and four to five times as much as white wine. (The Danish researchers agree with Dr. Denke on the white wine findings). Dr. Denke also points out that there are also several polyphenols in hops that have been shown to reduce test tube growth of human cancer cells.

Finally, Dr. Denke reports that beer has isoflavinoids, which are a class of so-called phytoestrogens: plant compounds that mimic the activity of the female hormone estrogen. Isoflavinoids have been found to inhibit test-tube growth of prostate, breast and colon cancers.

Alcohol and Women's Health
Two studies released this year deal solely with the effects of drinking alcohol on women's health.
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirmed the benefits for women of drinking alcohol. Data was collected from more than 70,000 nurses aged 25-42 whose health histories were tracked from 1989. The study found that younger women who drink two or three alcoholic beverages a week have a lower risk of developing high blood pressure than women who do not drink alcohol. The women in the group who drank two or three alcoholic drinks a week had a 14 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure than those who didn't drink at all. (In this study, a drink was defined as either 12 ounces of regular beer, four ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor.)

A study of post-menopausal women found that alcohol helps lower cholesterol levels. The study, led by Dr. David J. Baer, a research physiologist affiliated with the United States Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, included 51 healthy women with an average age of 60. Each woman was randomly assigned to one of three eight-week dietary programs. Those on the control diet drank no alcohol, some drank one drink a day and the third group drank two drinks a day. The women's cholesterol and triacylglyceride levels were measured before, during, and after the study.

Dr. Baer's team's findings showed that the women who drank one drink a day reduced their triacylglyceride level by eight milligrams and their LDL cholesterol level by four milligrams. The women who drank two drinks a day increased their HDL by three milligrams. "The epidemiologic data suggest that increasing consumption above one or two drinks per day is detrimental and not protective," said Baer. "Higher intakes of alcohol appear to increase triacylglycerides and do not appear to improve cholesterol levels."

Beer and the Kidneys
A Finnish-U.S. study of beer-drinking, middle-aged men was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 1999. The report stated that an increase in beer consumption may reduce the risk of developing kidney stones. Results showed that there was a 40 percent lower risk of kidney stones in beer drinkers, but the researchers were stumped as to whether the results were due to water, alcohol or hops.

Alcohol and Stress
Perhaps popping off to the pub relieves stress.

At Leeds University in the United Kingdom, Dr. Colin Gill's research showed that the welcoming atmosphere of the local pub helps men get rid of the stresses of modern life and is vital for their psychological well-being. Dr. Gill said that rather than complain, women should encourage men to pop out for a beer. "Pub-time allows men to bond with friends and colleagues," he said. "Men need break-out time as much as women and are mentally healthier for it."

Dr. Gill added that men might feel unfulfilled or empty if they had not been to the pub for a week. The report, commissioned by alcohol-free beer brand Kaliber, surveyed 900 men on their reasons for going to the pub. More than 40 percent said they went for conversation, with relaxation and a friendly atmosphere being the other most common reasons. Only 10 percent listed alcohol as their primary reason.

In Spain, an alcohol and stress study was conducted at Autonoma Universidad in Madrid. Published results showed that moderate drinkers feel better about their health than non-drinkers. In Spain's 1993 National Health Survey of 20,000 adults "the results showed that people who drank alcohol, including beer and spirits, were less likely to report ill health than people who abstained altogether," according the report published in the British Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. "Overall, the higher the consumption of total alcohol the lower the levels of subjective ill health." Of the test subjects, 57 percent drank regularly, with the majority consuming one to two drinks a day. Those who drank regularly were less likely than those who didn't to report "suboptimal" health.

How Much to Drink?
Quantity is the big question. How much should a person drink to benefit from the health effects of alcoholic drinks? The answer overwhelmingly given by all researchers and medical experts is to drink moderately. But, of course, the word "moderate" can be a bit vague.

At a conference on the effects of alcohol on health sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences, Dr. Arthur L. Klatsky, a highly respected researcher on the epidemiology of alcohol, and Dr. Roger Ecker, a practicing physician, presented an "algorithm" for helping doctors advise patients on how much to drink. Their recommendations of moderate drinking for people who have coronary heart disease or two or more risk factors for it, are for one to three drinks a week for men between 21 and 39 years of age and women between 21 and 49. They further suggest that men 40 or older and women 50 or older consider adding moderate amounts of alcohol to their diets if they have heart disease or one or more risk factors for heart disease. Exceptions are made for pregnant women and recovering alcoholics and other preventive measures, such as stopping smoking, are also encouraged.

Dr. Harvey Finkel, Clinical Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, studies the effects of alcohol on the heart. Dr. Finkel says that men should drink one- to three-ounce servings of alcohol a day (a standard drink being approximately one-half ounce of alcohol), with three drinks being the maximum, and that women should drink half that amount. He claims the difference in quantity is not due to the average differences in body weight between men and women, but due to the difference in men's and women's stomachs' ability to break down alcohol. Dr. Finkel goes on to say that four drinks a day does more harm than good and that death rates are higher for heavier drinkers than for abstainers.

The American Heart Association Dietary Guidelines also recommend moderation in drinking alcohol. Their definition of moderation is an average of one to two drinks a day for men and one for non-pregnant women. A drink is defined as either 12 ounces of regular beer, five ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits or one ounce of 100-proof spirits.

It is worth mentioning that on subjects ranging from the definition of "moderation" to the consumption of alcohol by pregnant or nursing women, US scientists tend to set lower limits than their European colleagues. There seems to be a suspicion in the American medical establishment that people will take any advice on the moderate consumption of alcohol as a license to abuse alcohol, which everyone agrees is bad for you.

Drink to your Health
For many centuries and in many languages, we've raised our glasses to one another and toasted good health. Perhaps we realized subconsciously that our foam-topped mugs were packed with compounds that did us good; perhaps it was just wishful thinking.

Now, a century of observations, and two decades of hard-headed scientific examination have confirmed our best hopes: the beer that bring enjoyment, refreshment, and convivial times with friends can also contribute to a healthier life in which to enjoy those pleasures.

To your health!

---------------------------------
Gregg Glaser is All About Beer Magazine's news editor, and a very healthy fellow.
---------------------------------

Beer as Good Food

Traditionally, beer has been viewed as a nourishing household product like bread, based on grain. One style, doppelbock, was even dubbed "liquid bread" by the monks who relied on it for sustenance during Lenten fasts. In earlier times, beer was the healthful mealtime beverage for young and old alike and a source of valuable nutrients.

Beer's ingredients are so pure that beer has been regarded as inherently kosher--conforming to the highest standards of food purity.

In the 1930s, copy writer Dorothy Sayers (best known for the Lord Peter Wimsey crime novels) coined the advertizing line "Guinness is Good for You!" and the famous Irish stout was dispensed to invalids and nursing mothers.

Somewhere, we lost sight of beer's essential wholesomeness. Now, research has documented beer's medical benefits, but beer's contributions to good nutrition are just as impressive, and just as important to overall health.

If an "average" 12 ounce bottle of beer sported a Nutrition Facts label, this is what it would tell you:

Beer contains 150 calories.
Beer has no fat
Beer has no cholesterol
Beer is caffeine free
Beer contains no nitrate
Beer contains 1 gram of protein and 13 grams of carbohydrates
Beer contains significant amounts of magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, and biotin
Beer is chock full of the B vitamins (as anyone who has taken brewer's yeast as a B supplement already knows), with impressive amounts of B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxin), and B9 (folate), with smaller amounts of B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B12 inotisol and choline.
Beer is 92 percent water

There will be variation from one beer style to another, of course. "Light beers" contain fewer calories and carbohydrates. High alcohol beers--barleywines or imperial stouts-- may contain more calories and carbohydrates. Different beer styles--dark styles, wheat beers--will have different levels of trace elements from pale ales or pilsners. But, across the board, beer in moderation is a nutritious beverage, and a great companion for food.

Beer as a Healthful Ingredient in Cooking
Cooks have discovered the array of tastes beer can bring to the kitchen. Not only can different styles of beer add depth to a flavor, but beer can also be used in place of some higher calorie ingredients, enhancing both health and enjoyment.

Substitute a stout or a porter for some of the oils or sugars in a marinade. You'll have all the rich flavors of the original, and nuances from the beer. And beer is an excellent tenderizer.
In baked goods, beer adds moistness, but with fewer calories.
Try a slightly sweet bock beer as a glaze during broiling or grilling, instead of an oil or syrup based glaze. The residual sugars in the beer add sweetness.

Beer can be substituted for wine in stews, soups, and sauces (but avoid the highly-hopped beer styles, which add too much bitterness as the sauce is reduced). In fact, the classic Belgian beef stew Carbonnade ˆ la Flamande gets its distinctive character from beer.
Drizzle a fruit lambic over fresh fruit instead of syrup for
a dessert that is light, but still a satisfying conclusion to a meal.

Beer & Health

Take heed all you beer lovers. It is now a proven fact that beer -- yes, BEER -- can provide the same health benefits as wine. No matter what type of ale you prefer, studies show that drinking beer in moderation (up to 2 drinks a day for us guys) can and will reduce your chances of strokes, as well as heart and vascular disease.

It's called the French Paradox -- the link between the low rate of heart disease among the French and their fat-laden diet was a daily dosage of red wine. Well, there's no denying the results of that study. But what the public doesn't know is that the health value of beer has been known, documented and applied for centuries. But there are folks out there who don't want you to know about it (I wonder why).

wine vs. beer

According to Mr. Jim Anderson, wine connoisseur, "When you compare the raw ingredients that go into wine and beer, you'll find that wine, on one hand, is made purely from grapes, water and yeast. Grapes are a fine source of sugars, fiber and chromium, but few of those things survive the fermentation and filtering process. Yeast has loads of complex B vitamins, but again, they do not appear in the final product due to filtering."

Beer, on the other hand, is made from grains, water and yeast. Grains commonly used are barley and wheat (with cheaper, mass-produced beers relying on corn and rice), both of which are loaded with a variety of vitamins that survive the fermentation and filtering process. And the vitamin value of the yeast is conserved in the hundreds of unfiltered beers that are on the market -- both on tap and in bottles.

interesting tidbits about beer

Tidbit #1
In November of 1999, The New England Journal of Medicine stated that light to moderate beer drinkers would decrease their chances of suffering a stroke by 20%. They also stated that those who drink one beer a day compared to those who drink one beer a week experience no difference in reducing stroke risks.

Tidbit #2
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (May 1999) reported that consuming moderate amounts of beer would lower one's chances of coronary heart disease by 30-40%, compared to those who don't drink at all. (Beer contains a similar amount of 'polyphenols' -- antioxidants -- as red wine and 4-5 times as many polyphenols as white wine).

Tidbit #3
Alcohol has also been attributed to increasing the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) in the bloodstream, as well as helping to decrease blood clots.

Tidbit #4
Beer contains vitamin B6, which prevents the build-up of the amino acid homocysteine, that has been linked to heart disease. Those of us who have high levels of homocysteine are usually more prone to an early onset of heart and vascular disease.

Tidbit #5
A new study performed at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute in Utrecht indicates that those who drink beer had no increase in their homocysteine level, but those who drank wine or liquor had an increase of up to 10%.

Tidbit #6
Beer provides a 30% increase in vitamin B6 into the blood plasma -- something that neither wine nor any other liquor can do.

Tidbit #7
Beer is both fat-free and cholesterol-free.

Tidbit #8
Beer has a relaxing effect on the body thereby reducing stress and helping you sleep better.

Tidbit #9
Beer has proven to have positive effects on elderly people. It helps promote blood vessel dilation, sleep and urination.

what exactly is beer?

An average beer contains the following:
0 mg cholesterol 0 g fat 13 g carbohydrate 25 mg sodium protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins B, B2, and B6 alcohol

Sounds too good to be true? Not really. Considering beer was first used as a homeopathic remedy back in the good old days of the Egyptian Pharaohs thousands of years ago, things haven't changed much.

The only problem nowadays is the sad fact that several irresponsible people drink more than they should, and sobriety becomes a discarded word. Although I have listed the many good things about beer, there are also several negative aspects that I am obliged to caution you about: liver disease, obesity and alcoholism.

Of course, these adverse reactions would not occur if beer were drunk in moderation. Being responsible is always the key to having fun with friends and enjoying a nice cold glass of beer. I, for one, am going to have a beer and think that over.
Reference

By Simon McNeil
Nutrition Correspondent - Every Monday

OMG! THIS song

this is my fav song
Craig D made this song very good song to listened.
i love the rhytm.